Human leukocyte antigen, allele, and eplet mismatches in liver transplantation; observations from a small, single center cohort.

BACKGROUND

The impact of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching on outcomes in liver transplantation is controversial. Varying levels of HLA matching resolutions were examined in a uniform patient population with no pre-transplant DSA from a small, single center cohort.

METHODS

Retrospective chart review from a single center yielded 131 patients, 67 of which were confirmed to be DSA negative, all of which received induction immunotherapy and post-operative immunosuppression. HLA typing was achieved by sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (SSOP) method using LABType® kits. Eplet mismatch analysis was conducted using HLAMatchMaker software.

RESULTS

The mean number of HLA-A antigen mismatches was significantly higher in patients experiencing acute rejection (1.8 vs 1.6, p = 0.006). Rejection patients more frequently possessed two HLA-A mismatches compared to their non-rejection counterparts (77% vs 43%, p = 0.071). Patient survival was found to be non-significantly decreased in patients with a higher eplet mismatch load at the HLA-A locus (p = 0.155). No other loci were found to be predictive.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, HLA mismatches were found to increase acute rejection and be associated with decreased patient survival. The outcomes of this study suggest an involvement of HLA-A locus mismatches in predicting liver transplant rejection and patient survival.